Nutella Filled S’mores Cupcakes

by Natalie

If you’ve followed along for some time now, you probably know I’m a tad bit obsessed with s’mores. I mean really, who isn’t?! Lately though we’ve discovered just how easy and delicious they are when made with Nutella instead of bars of chocolate. So I thought I’d take our super simple s’mores and make them into cupcakes. Turns out that was a really good idea! We were completely smitten!

The idea for these cupcakes actually came last fall when I made a slightly different version of them. It was originally a recipe for a layered cake, but I halved it and made a dozen cupcakes. I wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate filling. It was fudge-like and was way too firm for the delicate cupcakes that encased it. And then there was the frosting. While it tasted good it didn’t hold its shape and melted all over the place. I took all of those little mental notes into consideration when making these Nutella filled s’mores cupcakes.

For the cupcake base I stuck with most of the same ingredients but swapped out some of the graham cracker crumbs for a little more flour. It made them less dense and more fluffy. I added vanilla for flavor and then adjusted the baking time to 18-22 minutes so that they baked perfectly. Once they were cool I used my handy dandy cupcake corer to create wells in the centers of the cupcakes. If you don’t own a corer, you can always use a pairing knife. I filled a piping bag with Nutella and then piped the spread into the cored cupcakes. I loved the idea of having the chocolate be more melty much like it would be if you were eating an actual warm s’more, so the Nutella was perfect.

I altered the frosting recipe a bit too. I added some water and salt along with corn syrup and mini marshmallows to help stabilize the meringue. It whipped up beautifully… thick, incredibly airy and absolutely tasty. It was like a giant bowl of homemade marshmallow fluff. Again, I used a large piping bag (fitted with an extra large star tip) and filled it with the mallow frosting. It piped on like a dream! No melty gooey mess. The pictures definitely do it justice! All that was left to do was break out the kitchen torch and toast the tops.

We like ours really brown, borderline burnt, so I spent a little more time on a few but you get the idea. Toast them to your hearts desire. For an added touch you can sprinkle a few graham cracker crumbs over the frosting and press a piece of Hershey’s chocolate on top. Purely for aesthetics though.

I seriously cannot wait to make these cupcakes again! Stephen said, “these are AMAZING!” And he doesn’t use the word amazing very often. We both loved everything about them. I hope you’ll give this fun summery s’more recipe a try! Enjoy & happy baking!

It's time to think outside of the fire pit with these incredible Nutella filled s'mores cupcakes! Piled high with homemade marshmallow frosting, these graham cracker cupcakes are sure to be a hit!

Author: Natalie

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter

⅓ c. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs, room temperature

1 c. buttermilk

1¼ c. all-purpose flour

¾ c. finely ground honey graham cracker crumbs (about 6 sheets)

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Filling:

¾ c. Nutella

Marshmallow Frosting:

2 egg whites, room temperature

¼ c. water

1 tbsp. corn syrup

1 c. granulated sugar

½ tsp. cream of tartar

⅛ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. miniature marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one muffin/cupcake pan with liners, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. With mixing speed on low, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk until combined. Mix until just until combined, do not overmix!

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (I like to use my #20 scoop) dividing evenly. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes have cooled, use a knife or a cupcake corer to remove the centers of the cupcake and fill with approximately 1 tbsp. of Nutella each. I stuck mine in piping bag and filled them that way, it was easy and mess-free!

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, water, corn syrup, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set it over a saucepan with simmering water (medium heat). Whisk constantly until the mixture becomes foamy and reaches 150 degrees. Remove and beat with the whisk attachment on high for 2 minutes, then stop, add the vanilla extract and marshmallows and continue beating for 2 more minutes until the mixture becomes thick and smooth or until stiff peaks form.

Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip and pipe onto the filled cupcakes. Use a kitchen torch to toast the tops of the frosting or serve as is.

Notes

-The mallow frosting is best when made/torched the day you are going to eat these cupcakes. You can always re-torch it to crisp it up again if you plan on serving them within 24 hours.

Hi!! I’m going to make these cupcakes for a friend’s bday.. the party is on a Sunday but due to my busy work schedule, I’m going to have to make the cupcakes Thursday and refrigerate them.. do you think they will be okay? Even if I stuff then with the Nutella?
Also.. I’ve never made a marshmallow icing.. would that be okay to make Saturday morning and refrigerate until Sunday.. or should I just make it Sunday morning?
Thanks so much!!